Ball-cock.



E. S. STACK.

BALL 000K. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1907. RENEWED PEB. 3, 1912.1,038,014.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

4 SHBETS-SHEET l.

E. S. STACK.

BALL 000K.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1907. RENBWBD FEB. 3, 1912. 1,038,014,Patented Sept. 10,1912.

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BALL COCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2s, 1907. RENEWED PEB. a, 1912. 1,038,014.Patented Sept. 10, 1912.

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. BALL COCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1907. RENEWBD 2513.3, 1912.

1,038,014. Patented Sept. 10,191.2.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

To all whomalt muy. concern:

EINER S. STMX, OFSOMERVILM. IABSACHUSIE'JJ'IS.V

BAIL-COCK.

Specication of Letters-Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912 applies-uan mee september 2a, 1907, sex-m iro.agisse. mewearemmy s, 191s. seran Na. 015,342'.

Be it known that I, ELMER S. STACK, of Somerville',` in the county of.Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful' Improvements in Ball- Cocks, of which the following is aspeciiieation.

' This invention has relation to automatic valves,l and more especiallyto that type known as bal-l cocks, which control the inlet of waterunder pressure to a reservoir in 1Whih a supply ot Water is kept at adesired eve l The chief object' of the invention is to keep the valveaway from it-s seat as much as possible when admitting water and toclose the inlet promptly when a sufficient quantity of water has beenadmitted.

The .in-let valve of the style of ball cock now most commonly in use,closes as gradually as the rising of the water levelA in the reservoir.The chiefdisadvantage of such a ball cock is that, as the inletval'veapproaches its: seat, it is'attacked bythe strong head of thewater for so great a period during eaehclosing' that in a comparativelyshort time the valve and its seat become Worn and permit leakage.Another disadvantage isl that a longer of time is required to lill thereservoir since the, flow from. the supply pipe diminishes constantly asthewater level in the reservoir rises, and the valve may possibly neverbe pressed so close to its seat as to completely cut ofi' the supply.The result is aA prolonged if not a continual leakage through the supplyvalve and the consequent-wearing away thereof.

In the present invention, the disadvantage of undulyI wearingaway thevalve' is overcomel by reducing the outlet of the valve casing on thedischarge side ofthe valve, and providing what I shall hereinafter' terma dilerential pressure arca iu the-valve. Still further, thedisadvantage of preventing'a copious discharge inte the reservoir byconfining the Water in` the valve casing is overcome by providing avariable discharge openingl which .is reduced when the Valve isrelatively close to the valve seat, and which is increased when thevalve is relatively distant from 'the seat. By reason of. reducngtheoutlet of the casing, the valve, which is of greater ers-'seetional areathan the inlet,I is subjected to a correspondingly greater resistance'from the Water, and' tlils opposes the buoyancy oftheiloat withincrease-dl force, causing the latter to rise more slowly than if itwere free. At this point the valve is farther from its seat than wouldbe' the case if there were no back pressure in the valvegcasing. rPhevalve and seat are.

therefore free from a rush of water past them and the consequent wear.The, di-4 minishedsoutlet then becomes the place where the rush ofwatercauses Wear, but at that pointthe wear is of no consequence.

Continued rising of the float causes the valve to approach its seat, andWhen-i it approaches so close as to reduce the inlet of water to suchvolume as can pass through the reduced outlet Withoutv being forced, theback pressure against the valve plunger is relieved and the buoyancy ofthe partially submerged float- .causes it to rise quickly, therebyclosing the valve promptly and completely a ai'nst 'ts seat. The floatstill remains su merge somewhat below its normal level, because itsbuoyancy is finally op-v posed by the stoppin of the valve by thevalve-seat. It w11 understood, therefore, that, when the valve isfinally closed, there is still; an excess of buoyancy of the float tokeep the former closed so long as the water level does notfall. In aball cock, in which there is no back pressure to 4oppose the rise of thefloat, the valve, when closed, if indeed it ever becomes completelyclosed, is balanced between the pressure vof Water on one Side and thebuoyancy of the float onv the other, and its liability to a constantleakage and consequent Wear is apparent especially if the pressure ofthe water Huctuates. cock, that is 4When the water level falls by reasonof a discharge from the reservoir, the inlet valve does not opensimultaneously with the fall of the Water level. The valve, in fact,remains closed until the buo ancy of the float is diminished to such agree as to be overcome by the ressure of Water in the` comparatively smaarea of the inlet. The valve 'then opens, and the valve having a largerarea than the inlet is'subjected to a correspondingly greater force,minus the relief afforded by the reduced outlet of the casing Thisgreater force on the In the reverse operation of the ball valve `causesthe latter to submerge the oat below its normal level, which ispresumably falling meanwhile, and the valveopens more widely, therebyincreasing the inlet of water to the casing and also increasing thedischarge therefrom by increasing the area of the outlet.

' In order to adapt the ball cock toservice with various pressures, thereduced outlet is provided with means for varying or regulating the iowat that point. The passage for the How should be approximately inproportion to the pressure in order to insure successful operation ofthe valve. F orv example, a high pressure would require a greater reliefor less retardation than a low pressure in order to avoid too greataresistance to the 'action of the valve. If, after having regulated therelief for a high pressure, the ball cock be employed where the pressureis less, there is insuicient retardation and consequentlylittle or nopressure available for opposing, the action of the valve. Thereforethecapacity of thereduced outlet should be relatively small for a lowpressure, andlarge for'a high pres'-A sure.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, in'which a plurality of ball cocks are illust-rated in forms which varywit-hout departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionf-Figure `1is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of ball Acock constructedin accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 isa cross sectional .view onthe line. 2-2 of 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively 'longitudinalandcross-sec` tional views of a different form of the ball cock. Figs. 5,6, and 7 are longitudinal sectional views of other forms of ball cock.Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7. 'Figs 9 and10 are respectively longitudinal and cross-.sectional views of stillanother form of ball cock. Figs. 11 and 12 are longitudinal Sectionalviews of different styles of ball cocks having vertically movablevalves. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view on the line V13--13 of Fig.12.` Fig. 14 is a conventional showing yof a complete flush tank insection.

In the illustrated styles of ballcocks, Figs. 1 to 10 inclusive showforms having horizontally movable valves, and Figs. l1, 12 and 13 showforms in which the.valvcs are vertically movable. These styles may begrouped according to other classification. In Figs. 7, 8 and 11 a singledischarge outlet is increased and diminished in area by movement of thevalve, but in the remaining iigures the valve casing has, in eachinstance, two discharge openings of which one is cut off when the valveis closed upon the inlet.

On the drawings, thc same reference characters indicate the same partswherever they occur.V In the illustrated embodiments of the invention,the ball cocks are adapted for service such as controlling. the supplyof. water for a Hush tank, the waterbeing admitted to the tank froln asupply pipe in which the water .is subjected to a suitable pressure. l

The numeral 10 indicates a. reservoir in which a supply of water is tobe stored.

11 .is a. flush pipe by which the supply of water is conducted from thereservoir to the point. where it is to be used.

12 is a supply or inlet pipe by which `waiter under a 'suitable pressureis supplied to the reservoir.

13 is a normally open ball cocky which controls the inlet of water tothe reservoir, by reason of having a ballor float 1.4 which rlses andfalls with the level of water in the reservoir and which therebyactuates a valve in the ball-cock casing 15 so as to open and close theinlet. I The float 14 is aiiixed to the free end of the bell-crank lever16 pivoted at 16 to ears on the casing. The other end of the lever hassuitable sliding connection with a reciprocatory plunger or valve 17.Disregarding at present Figs. 7, 8, l2 and 13,A the v alve 17 projectsthrough the open end of a valve chamber 18 in the cas- 'ing 15. Thesupplypipe 12 is coupled at 19 to theinlet 2O of the casing` The inletterminates with a valve seat 21 within the valve chamber 18 into whichit delivers. The valve carrier 17 has on its inner end a washer orfacing 22 which is adapted to engage and close the inlet'. Thecross-sectional area of the inlet is, in each instance, less than' thatof the valve, for a purpose hereinafter specied Water admitted to thevalve chamber 18 is subsequently discharged into the reservoir through adischarge nozzle 23 to which it is admitted in a variety of ways.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the valve chamber 18 is surrounded by a dischargechamber 25 with which the vnozzle 23 is integrally formed. Communicationbetween the chambers 18 and25 is by a discharge port 26 which is of-less cross-sectional area than the in let 20. The capacity of the port26 is regulated by af-thumb screw 27. Additional communication betweenthe chambers 18 and 25 is by a plurality of supplemental discharge ports28 arranged in a circle and extending radially through the wall of thechamber 18. When .the valve 17 is held against its seat 21 by thebuoyancy of the float 14, it extends across and covers the supplementalports 28, thus confining the outlet to the relatively small dischargeopening 26.

The operation is as follows. Vhen the valve is held against its seat 21,the force exerted against the former by the water pressure is relativelysmall, but when the valve leaves its'seat reason of a discharge" fromthe reservoir, the valve chamber 18 is filled and 'discharges -throughthe primary port V26 only a comparatively small .propor-l tion -o-f thecapacity of the inlet. Consequently the valve chamber becomes 'acoinpression chainber, and .the valve, being of .so much greatercross-sectional. area than..

areaof .the outlet .is kept lessa-than that .of the inlet,4notwithstanding the fact [that both vary. After lthe inlet is onceopened, the pressure of Awalter on the full area of' the valvekeeps'i-the 'float submerged below its normal water linevuntil,during-the closing-of l.theinlet,. nthe supply :is decreased tosuch-a ydegree that it lcan vescape without cieating a back-pressureyinthe valve chamber. When opposition to-the buoyancy of the `iioa't isthus relieved,.'the 'latter seeks. itsnormal positionrof-displacement,but it neveu-quitel ,reaches .that position'..b `eeau`se,y if'ithe screwvregulator' 27 :is correctly adjustetl, fthe valve 17 reaches its-.seatbefore the '-float can .reachits .normal position There is, therefore,an excess of buoyancy of 4the fioa't which keeps .thevalveffirmlyagainst its -seat,' and in that .position :the waterpressure operates on rthe smaller portion ofthe differentialarea. -Theball cock illustrated in Figs`.'"3 and 4 has a chamber 30v instead oftheannular chamber of Fig. 1 j It also hasa different arrangement ofvthe'port 26' and regu-f lating screw 27,:and asinglelarge supple-ymental port -3-1 :in place of -thewports 28. The web 32 in Fig. 1ycauses Vanejection byithe main discharge of Waterofrwhateverwaterlleaks around the valve-17..

'Inthe' E'form shownby Fig..5',the primary. discharge opening is a port'B3 in the valve 17,1 communicating with a chamber tlawithsu in theValve. Egress from the chamber/l is .throuorh a port 'comniunicating'with the nozzle 23. The supplemental opening"- is'indicatedat 3 6,and,vas is the'case inthe forms of'-Figs."1 and 3,is covered or .c'losed bylthe forwardiend of I:the valve whenthe latter is -upon 'the inletseat.. In this form`, `the .-screwfmegu'lator'. 27 -is necessaril car`riedfby' the valve F17'so asftomove-Qwlth the primary opening- 33'whichit regulates. .'37

iis an.,annular groove Iin the periphery of the valve for draining offthe water which may leak around the valve. The drainage passes intothedischargey nozzle with the main 4body of discharged water.

'In'..the form vshown in Fig. 6., the valve 17 and supplementaldischargeopening to the nozzle..23are practically the saine as -thosedescribed..` The primary discharge Hopening, however, -is `by means of apipe 38 connected with the chamber 18 and leading to" the Ilower part ofthe reservoir 10 .below the standard water `level;- vThe .regulator forthispri-mary discharge is a cap -39 screw-threaded over the lower `endof the Ipipe 38. The cap has apertures 40-for Vthe escape ofthewater,`and a tapered teat 41 for projecting into `the end of the pipe.The capaclty of this end of the pipe or discharging. may be varied byturning'the cap about the screw-threaded portion.- 42

is a valve-stem 'extending'into the inlet 20,

fior 'keepin .the valve in yalinement with Iits path o movement. The.stem has a tapered portion 43 which operates withthe perpendicular faceof the valve to vary the supply from the inlet 20.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a lradically'different formas far as appearancean'dco struction are concernedbut thev ,result at ained `by it is the sameas the'others'. In thisfform` the-valve chamber 1.8 and discharge nozzle23 mTive` with the valve 17. The ,said cham' ber 'and vnozzle are4formed integrally with a casing 44 .which slides Vupon the Aexteriorofthe inlet. pipe 20. The latter is mounted ina bracket 45 affixed tothe wall ofthe lrcservoirfand has one or more lugs, 46

which are drawn lup,against'one'side 'of the bracket by ascrew-threadednut 47 on the opposite side ofthebracket. The casing44 has 'an extension48 which also slidesjon" the inlet'. ip'e 20 toatford a better bearingto keep e casing steady.. Lugs 49 491011 the extension 48 arev engaged:by slotted arms 50 5 0I ofthe bell lcrank to ywhich .the

. float isaiiixed.l The exterior of the inlet Y pipe 20 tapers 'abruptlytoward the valve seat 21, .and `with it an annual shoulder 51is' adaptedtocoperate The said shoul- 'der is formed. within .the. .casing. 44-between the chamber 18. and ,the discharge chamberf25.' The valve-17isin theiorm vof a'plug screw-tlirea leclinV the end of the casing 44Iand=therefore adjustable relatively' justed feo .as "to" .seat :beforepermitting the :shoulder-51"@ tenga e vthe inlet pipe. .In this forinthe walloigthe chamber .18.oper- .atesasfthegreatel' 'portion of thediffer- "ential areafupon which the water pressure acts. As the valve 17is moved `toward the inletseattodirninish the supply', the shoulder 5 1approaches the tapered end of the :inlet pipetherebyreducing the. areathrough which, the Water escapes nozzle. y

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the chiet` variation between that form andthose of Figs. 1, 3 and 6 lies in the primary discharge outlet. Thelatter is above the valve chamber and terminates in the wall thereofdirectly above the nozzle 23. Communication between the primary outlet.and the nozzle is by the way of a port 60 extending through the valvefrom top to bottom. When the valve is retracted from the inlet to itsfull extent, the forward end of the former uncovers the entrance to thenozzle, and the to. the discharge latter then becomes the supplementaloutlet.

with a full opening. `At this posit-ion, the port 60 is out of alinementwith the primary outlet 22, the latter being unnecessary and in fact cutoff.

The form shown `in Fig. 11 issimilar to that in Fig. 7,in that it has asingle discharge outletwhich is increased as the valve leaves the inletseat and which is diminished as the valve approaches the seat. The valvein this form is vertically movable in the valve chamber 18 frdm whichthevwater discharges through a neck 61 leading to the nozzle 23. Theinlet valve seat 62 surrounds the neck 61 thereby providing an annularspace through which the supply enters the c 'amber 18. The capacity ofthe neck 61 to permit a'discharge' is varied by a tube 63 ailixed to thevalve 17, and having a flared end 64. The end 64 has a sliding fitWithin tures 67 through which `the discharge passes from the exterior tothe interior thereof 4and thence through the flared end 64.-. When thevalve '17 is farthest from its seat, the annular inlet admits a greaterquantity of water than the apertures 67 can discharge and so a backpressure is created in the chamber. As the valve approaches its seat,the tapered shoulder 66 enters the neck 6l, thereby reducing thedischarge area at that point and prolonging the back pressure, but, whenthe inlet is cut down to such a point that the supply can readily escapepastthe tapered shoulder, the back pressure is relieved and the valvequickly seats. In case some of the water leaks by the valve 17, itenters a groove 68 in the peri hery thereof and flows thence through raial apertures 69 to a central aperture 7 0 andthen through the tube 65.

The form illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 is similar to that of Fig.llwith respect to the annularinlet, the Yneck 611, the annular outlet,

and the vertically movable valve 17 Withy to the discharge neck 61, acontinually open discharge outlet 76 with a screw regulator 27. Theaction of the valve is, in this form, the same as the described actionof the form in Fig. 11, with the capacity of being ad'usted by theregulator to operate success ully under various pressures of the inlet.

' Inall the forms herein shown, the provision of a regulator forcontrolling the discharge from the valve casing enables the pressure ofwater within the valve chamber to retard the closing of the valve, andso to maintain `an excess of buoyancy of the float. The advantage of thelatter has already been explained, but, in addition to its value inclosing the valve asit does, it prevents the valve from hammering whenthe Water pressure tluctuates, as it does when an outlet at some otherpoint in the supply main is suddenly shut off.

The factthat the valve in the present invention presents to the Waterpressure a relatively small area when closed and a relatively large areawhen open, makes it in every case more diiicult to close the inlet whenonce o n. Ball-cock valves, in which there is not ing'of this kind,invariably close with an irregular movement. In such valves the buoyancyof the oat tends to exact a force just sufficient to balance theolpposingforce of the inlet, ,but, inasmuch as t e latter 1s constantlyvaried by the closing of the valve, one force or the other is liable togain on the other temporarily. The result is that the valve closeseither with a step-h v-step or a see-saw movement. ,This balancing orfluctuating movement of the Vvalve is prevented in the present inventionby the retardation imposed on the float by the pressure against therelatively large valve area..

It is apparent that the invention is capa` ble of still other forms inwhich the discharge from the valve casing may be controlled, so as tovary with the inlet and still .remain less within a certain range.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention, and described away of mak,

ing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all ofthe forms in which it may be made, or all of the modes of its use, 4whatI claim is: 1. A ball cock having a valve chamber, a supply inlettherefor, a valve in the chamber of greater cross-sectional area thanthe inlet, movable toward and from the inlet to close the same, adischarge outlet of less cross-sectional area than the inletcommunieating with the valve chamber, and means or varying the pressurein the valve chamer. i

2. A ball cock having a valve!chamber, a .supply inlet therefor, a valvein the chamber of greater crossrsectional area than the inlet, movableto' and -fronr and in alinement'with the inlet, a discharge outletoflessca' chamber," andv means fordvajrying'A the pres sure irf'thevalvechamber."

3. ball cock having 'afvalvejchambena supply/inlet therefor, a valve inthech'a'mber of greater cr osssectionalareat tha'nthe inlet,

. movablel toward and fromthe inlet to close the same,'"a` discha're'outlet of less rnaXii-'4 mumcapacity, than t `e 'inletl communicating`Witli'itli'evalve chamber, and means for regu-' lating tl'iecapac'ity`ofthe out-letf l 5' f Aiball cock havinga valve. chambergasupplyinletthrefor, a: compressioiivalve, in the valve'chamberA of greater,cross-.sectional area thantheinlet,i movablefto-clb'ose' the inletagainstfthe supplyg'a discharge outlet of "lessv c a acity: the inletcori'l'r'riun'i eating` withl t e valve-chamberand adapted Ito, bediminished when the valv'eijs against its seat and increased valve isrela' -tively distant front-:itsrv seat. A

`5. A ball cock having av valve chamber,

supply'inletzitherefor, a dischargefport of less capacity than'the inletcommunicating.

with the chamber, anda compresslon valve inthe chamber kmovable tovandfromthe inlet and thereby adapted to increase and diminish thedischarge outlet.

6. A ball cock having avalvechamber", an inlet, a variable outlet, bothcommunicating withthe chamber, and means for varying the flow'Vthrough.` the inleLantL theroutlet, substantiallyV asv set forth.

7. A' ball `cock having avalve chamber, an inlet, a variable outlet,both communicating with the chamber, and asingle valve movable in thechamber for varying `the iow through the inlet and outlet, substantiallyas set forth. l 8. A ball cock having a valve chamber, an inlet,a'variable outlet both communicating with the chamber, and a single.valve of greater cross-sectional are'a than the inlet,`

" movable in the chamber for varying the flow through the inlet andOutlet, substantially'as set forth. y l

The combination with areservoir for iluidand afloat therein, of a supplypipe for iuid under pressure,`a`valve cas1ng`, a valve in the casingconnected ,to `the iloatso'as to move therewith, an inlet for admittingfluid from the supply pipe'tolthe casing,`and an outlet forfthe escapeof uid fromthe casing,` said .inletrand outlet 'being-'so arranged andof rsuch .a character as tocontrolled by the valve and to afford, whenopen`,"v,a^ greater than "the "outlet,Y until, the 'inlet is nearlyclosed.- f A Y ,10. A.' ball cock having a valve chamber,

. wie than 'the inlet communication wit thj theflinlet increases theroutlet.`l`

11."A 'ba1lfeoek having-a valve chamber,

Cwhen the `for'mer is nearly closed.

lsaid g' valve having a riable passages, of which the inlet'isalways uarea -offthe valve, 1ssuiclent to hol an inlet, a variable ,outletfibothcom-muni'.-

, ca-tingwith the chamber, and a single valve '1n the chamber movabletoand from the inlet','said inlet and outlet being so arranged thatmovement ofthe valvetoware thehinlet decreases. the outlet and movementfroman inlet thereto, a:A variable outlet-fory conducting water 'fromthechamber to. a reser-` Voir, and an inlet valve in the chamber ofgreater cross-sectional `f area than theV inlet and actuated by a iioatin thereservoir, said outlet beingsc'rI arranged ,as t-o'be increased ordiminished by the valve.

12'.y The comblnation-with a reservoir and a' supply-'pipe 'for`conduct-ing a fluid under pressure;v of a valve casing, an inlet forthe fluid, afloat in' the?res'ervoiigfV an inlet yvalve o'fgreater. areathan the inlet, connected to the float so ast-olie 'actuatedthereby toclosethe inlet when the 'float risesg'and an outlet conunun'icatingwithithefcasing sofas tofbe varied by the valve thereinE and' kept lessvthan the inletwhen the"y valve "isvawaylfrom the `latte1'.". i

13; The combination with ajsupply pipeA 1- ,for-'conducting Huid underpresglretareserz; v oin' for iuid, and.` a` float in. the reservoir, fof 'a'valvec'asingg an "inlet -for conducting fluid from the supplypipe. into ,the valve casing, an inlet `valve'i'n the casing ofgreate'ar'V area than' the inlet, and -coxvmected to the'v oat s'o`as tomove to'. andfrom the inletas the fioat riseslgand falls, andv adischarge' outlet communicating with the*l casing so as to'be increasedwhenlthe valve recedes from the inlet, 'and `diminished vwhen the valveapproaches the inlet, ,said outlet being less than, the inlet whilethel'at-ter is wide open, and until it is nearly closed by the valve.' p

14. vThe combination with a supply pipe `for conducting Huid underpressure, a

reservoir for fluid, and afloat inthe reservo1r, of a valve casing, anlnlet for conduct-- v ing -fluid from the supply pipeinto the valvecasin`g, ari-.outlet communicating with the casing, and a valve in thecasing of greater area `than` the inlet, and connected Vtov-the floatsoas -to be actuated thereby, and adapted to control the inlet andoutletso that the latterl is `.always less than the" former except 15.A' iloat valve comprising ka oat'zfa valve chamber, `a water inlet.intofsa'ld chamber for-min 'a valve" seat, an outlet fr'y said cham rof jless capacity than the. ;inlet,'av valve in seid chamber and aconnection betweencthe'valve and' the float,

reater areathanlrthe at the back pressure eat the valve Ifrom itsseatuntilfthe/foat is submerged toa greater extent than 1t would be area,of the inlet,'jso t I' caused'by the Asmall outlet and the iso by thenormal pressure of the water in the inlet, means being provided forvarying the pressure in the valve chamber.

16. A ball cock having a valve chamber and an inlet, a valve of greatercross sectional area than the inlet, and an outlet of less capacity thanthe inlet formed by the surfaces of the valve chamber and the Valve.

17. A ball cock having a valve chamber and an inlet, a valve of greatercross sectional area than the inlet, an outlet of less capacity than theinlet formed by the surfaces of the valve chamber and the valve, andmeans for varying the pressure in the valve chamber.

18. A ball cock having a valve chamber provided with inlet and outletpassages, a float operated valve, means in the chamber for effecting avariable pressure resistant to the closinfr of the valve, and means forrelieving said pressure when the valve is relatively near its seat.

19. A ball cock having a valve chamber provided with inlet and outletpassages, a float operated valve, and `means between the inletand outletpassages for retarding the flow, said means being adapted to vary thedegree of retardation.

20. Ay ball cock having a valve chamber provided with inlet and outletpassages, a float operated valve, and means co rating ywith the flowbetween the inlet an "outlet ofthe valve chamber for developingresistance t-o the closing of the valve, said kmeans being adapted tovary the degree of resistance.

21. A ball cock having a valve chamber rovided with inlet and outletpassages, an inlet valve adaptedto close the inlet in the directionopposite to the flow, means movable with the valve for retarding theflow between the inlet and outlet, a float, and means operable by thelioat for moving the valve, said means being adapted to Vary the ratioof force and movement imparted to the valve.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ELMER S. STACK. Witnesses:

A. L. FoLsoM, ARTHUR H. BROWN.

